tp-link Archer T3U Plus AC1300 High Gain Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter User Guide

: June 9, 2024
: tp-link

Table of Contents

About This Guide
Get to Know About Your Adapter
Connect to a Computer
Windows
Mac OS X
Appendix: Troubleshooting
COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Safety Information
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

User Guide
AC1300 High Gain Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter
Archer T3U Plus

About This Guide

This guide is a complement to Quick Installation Guide. The Quick Installation Guide instructs you on quick installation, and this guide provides the product overview and detailed instructions for each steps.
When using this guide, please notice that features available of the adapter may vary by model and software version. It may also vary by region or ISP. All images, steps, and descriptions in this guide are only examples and may not reflect your actual experience.

Conventions
In this guide, the following conventions are used:

Convention	Description
Underlined	Underlined words or phrases are hyperlinks. You can click to

redirect to a website or a specific section.
Teal| Underlined words or phrases are hyperlinks. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific section.
Note:| Underlined words or phrases are hyperlinks. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific section.
Tips:| Underlined words or phrases are hyperlinks. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific section.

Maximum wireless signal rates are the physical rates derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications.
Actual wireless data throughput and wireless coverage, and number of connected devices are not guaranteed and will vary as a result of network conditions, AP limitations, and environmental factors, including building materials, obstacles, volume and density of traffic, and AP location.
To ensure compatibility, you may need to update the adapter’s drivers after an OS update. You can find our latest drivers in the download center at tp-link.com/en/download-center.
*Use of MU-MIMO requires AP to also support MU-MIMO.

More Info

The latest driver can be found at Download Center at https://www.tp-link.com/support.
The Quick Installation Guide can be found where you find this guide or inside the package of the router.
Specifications can be found on the product page at https://www.tp-link.com.
A TP-Link Community is provided for you to discuss our products at https://community.tp-link.com.
Our Technical Support contact information can be found at the Contact Technical Support page at https://www.tp-link.com/support.

Get to Know About Your Adapter

This chapter introduces what the adapter can do and shows its appearance.
This chapter contains the following sections:

Product Overview
LED Status

1 1 Product Overview
TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter connects your computer to a Wi-Fi network for smooth HD video, voice streaming and online gaming.

A high-gain antenna greatly enhances the reception and transmission signal strength of the USB adapter
Utilizes 802.11ac standard and is backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n
Supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/ WPA2-PSK
Supports Windows and Mac

1 2 LED Status

Note: Archer T3U Plus (European version) is used for demonstration in this guide
You can check the adapter’s working status by following the LED explanation table.

Status	Indication
On	The driver has been installed successfully.
Off	The driver is not installed.

The adapter is not detected.

Tips:
If the LED is off, try these troubleshooting tips:

Check if the adapter is recognized and enabled or not. Refer to Troubleshooting-T2 for detailed instructions.
Remove and reinsert the adapter.
Reinstall the software, if necessary.

Connect to a Computer

This chapter introduces how to connect the adapter to your computer.
Before you start using your adapter, insert the adapter into a USB port on your computer directly.

The image is for demonstration only.

After connecting your adapter to the computer, please follow the instructions in the appropriate chapter for your operating system: Windows, Mac OS X.

Windows

This chapter introduces how to install your adapter’s driver, use your adapter to join a wireless network, and uninstall your adapter in a Windows system.
The adapter is equipped with a Setup Wizard, which can guide you through the installation process.
This chapter includes the following sections:

Install Driver
Join a Wireless Network
Uninstall Driver

3 1 Install Driver
1 Insert the resource CD into your CD drive and run the Autorun.exe from the pop-up Autoplay window.
Note:

You can also download the driver or check the new release at https://www.tp-link.com/download-center.
In some operating systems, the CD screen will pop up automatically. Otherwise, run the CD manually.

2 Select Archer T3U Plus and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
Note:

For Windows 7, if the message “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software” pops up, click Install this driver software anyway.
If you can’t install the driver successfully, disable the antivirus software and firewall, then try again.

3 When the following screen appears, the driver has been installed successfully.

3.2 Join a Wireless Network
You can join a wireless network via Windows built-in wireless utility. Follow the instructions below to use your computer system’s built-in wireless utility:

Click , or (Network icon) on the taskbar. Select the Wi-Fi network you want to join, and click Connect. Enter the network password when prompted.
When the network icon changes to or , it indicates a successful network connection.

3 3 Uninstall Driver
The software uninstallation steps vary a bit from different systems. Please follow the appropriate instructions for your Windows operating system: Windows 8/8.1/10, Windows XP/7.

Windows 8/8 1/10
Go to Start menu to find the TP-Link application. Click Uninstall TP-Link Archer T3U Plus Driver, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Windows XP/7
Go to Start > All Programs > TP-Link > Uninstall TP-Link Archer T3U Plus Driver.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.

Mac OS X

This chapter introduces how to install your adapter’s driver and utility, use your adapter to join a wireless network, manage your adapter and uninstall your adapter in Mac OS X.
This chapter includes the following sections:

Install Driver and Utility
Join a Wireless Network
Management
Uninstall Driver and Utility

4 1 Install Driver and Utility
We take the steps in Mac OS X 10.10 as an example – the steps may vary slightly for other versions of Mac OS.

Download the driver and utility at https://www.tp-link.com/download-center.
Note:
The CD is included in the package. If your computer has a CD drive, you can also run the included CD to install the driver and utility.
Double click to unzip the downloaded folder and run the Install.pkg.
The Install TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter Utility and Driver Wizard window will appear. Click Continue and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
When the following screen appears, the driver and utility have been installed successfully. Click Restart to finish the installation.
After restarting the computer, the TP-Link Utility icon will appear on the
menu bar in the upper-right corner of the screen. To use the utility to join a Wi-Fi network with your adapter, refer to Join a Wireless Network.
Note:
If the TP-Link Utility icon does not appear on the menu bar, make sure the USB wireless network adapter is connected properly and its LED is on.

4.2 Join a Wireless Network
There are two options of using the adapter to join a Wi-Fi network. Option 1: TP-Link Utility
TP-Link Utility lets you easily connect the adapter to a Wi-Fi network and manage the adapter.
Option 2: WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is a network security standard for easily adding computers and other devices to a home network. Use this method if your wireless router or access point supports WPS.

4 2 1 TP-Link Utility
Option 1
Click the TP-Link Utility icon on the menu bar, and choose a Wi-Fi network from the list. Enter the password when prompted.
When you are connected to the internet, the network icon will change to .

Option 2

Click the TP-Link Utility icon on the menu bar, and then click Open Wireless Utility at the bottom of the network list.
Select the network you want to join from the list and enter the password when prompted. Click Join.

Note:
If your Wi-Fi network is not displayed in the list, you can try to join it by WPS or by clicking Join Other on the above screen, and then follow the on- screen instructions to join the network.

4 2 2 WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
WPS can be activated via PBC (Push Button Configuration) and PIN code on the TP-Link Utility. Please refer to PBC or PIN below.
• PBC

Press the WPS/QSS button on your router or AP.
Within 2 minutes, click the TP-Link Utility icon on the menu bar, and then click WPS at the bottom of the network list.
Click PBC.
The following screen indicates a successful connection by WPS. Click OK.

• PIN

Click the TP-Link Utility icon on the menu bar, and then click WPS at the bottom of the network list.
Click PIN.
Within 2 minutes, log in to the web management page of your router or AP. Go to its WPS page, enter the PIN of the adapter in the corresponding field and click Connect.
The following screen indicates a successful connection by WPS. Click OK.

4 3 Management
TP-Link Utility provides you with an easy way to manage various connection settings of your Wi-Fi network.

Click the TP-Link Utility icon on the menu bar, and then click Open Wireless Utility at the bottom of the network list.
TP-Link Utility will pop up. Click the Profiles button to open the Profiles screen.
The Profiles screen lets you manage different Wi-Fi connection settings as profiles so that you can connect to your network easily.

Preferred Networks displays the networks that you once connected to. The networks’ status and information are displayed in the table.

To join a Wi-Fi network
If you want to join a Wi-Fi network that is listed on the profile screen, select the profile and click Apply in the bottom right corner.
To manage an existing profile
If you want to change the wireless settings of an existing profile, select it and then you can edit its Security and Password. If you want to delete a profile, select it and click Remove.

4.4 Uninstall Driver and Utility

Double click Uninstall. command in the downloaded folder.
Enter the password of you computer and when the “Uninstall Complete” message appears, the uninstallation is complete.

Appendix: Troubleshooting

T1 What should I do if the adapter is not detected?

Make sure the adapter is securely connected to the computer.
Make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for the adapter and that the latest Windows and system updates are installed on your computer.
Make sure you use the latest driver for your specific adapter. The latest drivers can be found at https://www.tp-link.com/download-center.
Try a different USB port on the computer.
Try restarting the computer or try using the adapter on a different computer.

T2 How to check if I have installed the driver for my adapter successfully or not?

On your computer, please right click Computer icon and go to Manage;
Open the Device Manager and go to Network adapters, and then find the corresponding TP-Link adapter, right click it and then go to Properties;
If you can see “This device is working properly.” in the red box, you have already installed the driver successfully.

T3 What should I do if can’t connect to the Wi-Fi after installing the driver?

Refer to T2 to check if you have installed the driver for your adapter successfully .
Make sure the adapter is securely connected to the computer.
Disable the antivirus software and firewall, then try again.
Try a different USB port on the computer.
Restart your computer and try again.
Re-install the driver and try again.

T4 How to find the hardware version of the adapter?

The hardware version is printed on the product label on the package or the adapter.
There is a character string “Ver:X.Y” (for example, Ver:2.0) in the Serial Number field, and the number X is the hardware version of the adapter.
Visit https://www.tp-link.com/faq-46.html and follow the second method to find the hardware version of the adapter.

For more detailed instructions:

Can’t find the hardware version of the adapter: https://www.tp-link.com/faq-46.html
Can’t find or join the wireless networks: https://www.tp-link.com/faq-2253.html
Can’t install the driver: https://www.tp-link.com/faq-2252.html

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS

Specifications are subject to change without notice. is a registered trademark of TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. Other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
No part of the specifications may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative such as translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. Copyright © 2020 TopLink Technologies Co.,
Ltd. All rights reserved.

FCC compliance information statement

Product Name: AC1300 High Gain Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter
Model Number: Archer T3U Plus
Responsible party:
TP-Link USA Corporation, d/b/a TP-Link North America, Inc
Address: 145 South State College Blvd. Suite 400, Brea, CA 92821
Website: https://www.tp-link.com/us/
Tel: +1 626 333 0234
Fax: +1 909 527 6803
E-mail: sales.usa@tp-link.com

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Note: The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. Such modifications could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement:
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. End users must follow the specific operating instructions for satisfying RF exposure compliance. This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. This equipment has been SAR- evaluated for use in hand. SAR measurements are based on a 5mm spacing from the body and that compliance is achieved at that distance.
We, TP-Link USA Corporation, has determined that the equipment shown as above has been shown to comply with the applicable technical standards, FCC part 15. There is no unauthorized change is made in the equipment and the equipment is properly maintained and operated.

**CE Mark Warning

This is a class B product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
OPERATING FREQUENCY (the maximum transmitted power)
2400 MHz -2483.5 MHz(20dBm)
5150 MHz -5250 MHz(23dBm)
5250 MHz -5350 MHz (20dBm)
5470 MHz -5725 MHz (20dBm)
EU declaration of conformity**
TP-Link hereby declares that the device is in compliance with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of directives 2014/53/EU, 2011/65/ EU and (EU)2015/863. The original EU declaration of conformity may be found at https://www.tp-link.com/en/ce

RF Exposure Information
This device meets the EU requirements (2014/53/EU Article 3.1a) on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields by way of health protection.
This device has been tested and meets the ICNIRP exposure guidelines and the European Standard EN 62209-2. SAR is measured with this device at a separation of 0.5 cm to the body, while transmitting at the highest certified output power level in all frequency bands of this device. Carry this device at least 0.5 cm away from your body to ensure exposure levels remain at or below the as-tested levels.

National restrictions
Attention: This device may only be used indoors in all EU member states and EFTA countries.

| AT| BE| BG| CH| CY| CZ| DE| DK
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
EE| EL| ES| Fl| FR| HR| HU| IE
IS| IT| LI| LT| LU| LV| MT| NL
NO| PL| PT| RO| SE| SI| SK| UK

Canadian Compliance Statement
This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s licence-exempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause interference.
This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

Caution:
1 ) The device for operation in the band 5150–5250 MHz is only for indoor use to reduce the potential for harmful interference to co-channel mobile satellite systems;
DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) products that operate in the bands 5250-5350 MHz, 5470-5600MHz, and 5650-5725MHz.

Radiation Exposure Statement:
This EUT is compliance with SAR for general population/uncontrolled exposure limits in RSS-102 and had been tested in accordance with the measurement methods and procedures specified in IEEE 1528 and IEC 62209. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 1.0 cm between the radiator and your body. This device and its antenna(s) must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.
Industry Canada Statement CAN ICES-3 (B)/NMB-3(B)

Safety Information

Keep the device away from water, fire, humidity or hot environments.
Do not attempt to disassemble, repair, or modify the device.
Do not use the device where wireless devices are not allowed.
This USB Adapter can be powered only by computers that comply with Limited

Power Source(LPS).
Please read and follow the above safety information when operating the device.
We cannot guarantee that no accidents or damage will occur due to improper use of the device. Please use this product with care and operate at your own risk.

Explanation of the symbols on the product label
Symbol Explanation
RECYCLING
**** This product bears the selective sorting symbol for Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This means that this product must be handled pursuant to European directive 2012/19/EU in order to be recycled or dismantled to minimize its impact on the environment.
User has the choice to give his product to a competent recycling organization or to the retailer when he buys a new electrical or electronic equipment.